I am a Big Player
Chapter 340 - 338, Pop Up a Poem (First Update)_1

Chapter 340: 338, Pop Up a Poem (First Update)_1

The two large rooftops were like two secluded havens isolated from the world, with the two of them whispering softly on the balcony under the drizzle, while their parents in the living room remained oblivious. Yang Xi felt that this too should be considered romantic.

In her past life, when Ren He was in Chinese class, the teacher asked everyone to write on the blackboard what they thought love was. That was the most romantic lesson in Ren He’s memory.

Someone wrote on the blackboard: "Bottle Evil."

In truth, everyone knew that referred to Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie from "The Lost Tomb" series, but the teacher didn’t know and asked her to explain.

The girl seriously said, "The character for ’bottle’ can be broken down into ’tiles together,’ meaning to sit side by side under the roof. The character for ’evil’ combines ’tooth’ and ’ear,’ which can be interpreted as whispering by the temple. Together, the meaning is that you and I sit side by side under the eaves, quietly whispering secrets that others don’t understand."

Ren He really wanted to give her applause!

Wasn’t that description just like the scene between Ren He and Yang Xi now?

What a woman asks for in love is actually very simple: companionship.

Desiring a car and a house is a matter of quality of life, which should not be conflated with love. Of course, in today’s society, it’s not wrong for anyone to seek a better quality of life; everyone has the right to pursue the life they want.

And Yang Xi’s understanding of love was also very straightforward: it was nothing more than traveling together, and when suddenly feeling tired, still being able to return to Ren He’s side.

Both of them were independent. Yang Xi seldom asked Ren He to do anything for her, didn’t cling to him, and didn’t necessarily need to celebrate anniversaries on each holiday. Instead, it was Yang Xi who bought Ren He’s belts, wallets, socks, and underwear...

Ren He couldn’t even imagine that a girl like Yang Xi would buy him all these little things, and right now, he was wearing a pair of cartoon socks on his feet, socks so cute that he couldn’t bring himself to look at them directly...

Recognizing each other in a crowd is one form of love, wanting to buy something you like for the other is also love.

It was precisely because Yang Xi was so independent that she felt exceptionally guilty about Ren He going overseas this time.

If it were someone else, they might feel that their partner should rightfully come over, or they might simply choose to break up, among other possibilities.

But it just so happened that Ren He had the courage, and courage was indeed the most precious thing he obtained in his rebirth.

Why did he leave so many regrets in his past life if not for lack of courage?

To Ren He, money and fame were less important than even a knight’s courage.

What Ren He cherished most was actually the sentiment of a certain phrase: "There is a loquat tree in the courtyard, planted by my wife in years past, now towering like a canopy."

The more he experienced the fast-food era of his previous life, where he saw ever more men and women indulging in fleeting pleasures without reserve, and spouses drifting apart for money and fame.

The more he saw, the more Ren He longed for a love that lasted a lifetime with just one person.

In youth, to plant an apricot tree together, and when the years had passed, to sit under its fragrant blossoms and share a pot of old wine.

The hardest things to do are probably what people should do most.

Yang Xi said softly, "I’m sorry, I know you didn’t want to go abroad, you didn’t plan on it."

"Don’t think too much, anywhere with you is home," Ren He said cheerfully, lowering his voice.

Shameless, Yang Xi blushed instantly. Romance took her by such surprise, this man’s skin was so thick!

Just then, Su Ruqin called for Yang Xi, and Yang Xi waved to Ren He before he went back inside. Ren He began pondering how to conduct his own class.

Aside from tutoring, this was his first time formally teaching a class. He had noticed during the enrollment process that morning that although the students and parents in the audience were not openly questioning him, Ren He could see that they had their doubts. He knew he had to dispel these first to ensure they would be receptive to what he had to say.

Having chosen to enter the Juilliard School of Music as a teacher, he decided to do well in this role first.

These prodigies had made it into the Juilliard School of Music, which at least meant they had enough skill and talent. Ren He had no doubts about the Juilliard School of Music’s standards of aesthetics, but how should he start teaching?

Or rather, what should these talented students learn next after they have mastered the basics? They were all geniuses with master-level foundational skills; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been admitted to the Juilliard School of Music. The interviewers believed these students had the potential for higher levels of advancement.

At this point, Ren He felt he roughly knew what he should teach.

The next day, upon arriving at the Juilliard School of Music, he found that there were two piano rooms in the building, and the rehearsal hall had a grand piano that was always maintained by a specialist. However, Ren He’s first request was to have Joseph arrange to bring both pianos from the piano rooms together side by side in one room.

Joseph was surprised and asked what this was for, to which Ren He explained that this was how he taught piano. He needed these conditions to complement his teaching, and it wasn’t so he could teach two students at once. It was so that he could place his hands on the keys at any time to make an accurate demonstration.

Joseph pondered for a moment and ultimately agreed. Though pianos were expensive, since he had chosen Ren He, he felt it necessary to fully support him. He was curious to see what Ren He could achieve with his students, especially since the outside world still had doubts about the Juilliard School of Music. A 16-year-old piano prodigy might play like a master, but could he teach?

Was it the case that a literary master could certainly teach apprentices? It wasn’t that he didn’t know what to teach, but that teaching students also required many methods!

With the same mathematics textbook, an ordinary teacher might look at you not understanding and even want to hit you, while a top-level teacher could let you soar in the sea of mathematics. The level is just different.

Some math teachers only teach you exercises during class, but some dare to talk to you about astronomy from the start and gradually bring up the relation between astronomy and mathematics, eventually sparking your interest in math.

Is it the same? It’s not.

When the students arrived and were surprised to see the extra piano in the room, even Yang Xi didn’t know what Ren He had in mind.

Ren He smiled and said, "Although I didn’t participate in your auditions and wasn’t one of your examiners, I believe you all are above standard as pianists and not beginners; therefore, today each of you will play an exercise piece. I want to see each person’s characteristics, and then I will only teach you one thing over the next year: how to turn a piano and a score into a beautiful poem."

Everyone looked at each other, perplexed. This young professor was not playing by the book at all. How did a piano class get connected with writing poetry? Could it really work?

Playing the piano is just playing the piano, right? What necessary connection does it have with writing poetry?

Ren He flipped open a score and handed it to an upperclassman, "Play this."

The upperclassman calmly took the score, sat down at the grand piano on the left side, and began to play. After she finished, Ren He was already seated at the piano on the right side. He smiled and said, "Listen to the difference between a poetic line and a statement."

Everyone thought, could an ordinary exercise piece hold any surprises?

However, when Ren He played the first phrase, they were already shocked. The sound he produced was markedly different from that of the upperclassman’s, as if it were not the same piece at all!

The sixteenth notes in the first sentence of the exercise piece were clearly not connected, and the score even marked it with non-legato, yet Ren He managed to play them with a free and easy running rhythm! The tone was full yet clear, like someone singing a cheerful song!

So this was the so-called poetic line in the piano? Was this the level of a master pianist?!

...

As usual, let’s take a bite to eat.